


Le Jour et L'Aveugle [The Light and The Blind]

by Siffly, VoidEntity999



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil
Genre: (((Wait until you see Javert))), (No I'm absolutely not sorry), (Yes I really did THAT), Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010), Enjolras has the hAIR THAT LIGHTS UP WHEN HE SINGS, I dare you to tell me that R isn't a perfect Eugene, M/M, You can't
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-13 14:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21495625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siffly/pseuds/Siffly, https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidEntity999/pseuds/VoidEntity999
Summary: Once upon a time there is a young man, Enjolras, whose destiny is tied to the sun. His hair, so blond and long, has the power to cure illness and injury. But it was this gift that pushed his parents to keep him locked away from the world, atop a great tower. Ever since then, Enjolras has only wanted but one thing: to leave.Unfortunately for him, the only guide available is the most heinous bandit in all the land, currently wanted by the entire royal guard. And, on top of that, he's insufferable.This adventure will be much longer and more perilous than originally planned.
Relationships: Enjolras & Gavroche, Enjolras/Grantaire, Grantaire & Montparnasse, Grantaire & Éponine Thénardier, Les Amis de l'ABC Friendship
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Le Jour et l'Aveugle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16157753) by [Siffly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siffly/pseuds/Siffly). 

> [translated from original]
> 
> *throws confetti* TADA!
> 
> Before you ask me: I don't know anything else. I had the idea right in the middle of taking a test, and since then, I've been trying to finish it (and you know that it's the first time I've tried to write smth so long) (and I'm mostly sure I'll finish it)
> 
> I'm going to publish the first three chapters each Monday and after that...you'll have to wait for me to finish writing the rest X) (I have 8 chapters and an epilogue planned, but that could change) ((why did I throw myself into this when I don't have the time for it)) Anyway, since I'm trash, I have fucking easter eggs from the original Disney film scattered throughout for your pleasure of finding them :'D (I also crammed in some memes with minor discrection) (sorry) A HUGE thank you to LaPetitET for their beta full of sweetness and quality, this chapter would be a disaster without their sage editing <3
> 
> (The title is more or less a quote from Victor Hugo in Les Mis: "No one likes the light like the blind man.")  
Happy reading!
> 
> -Siffly, ur lil octopus

Enjolras' day began like any other.

The sun had barely come up when a voice much too cheerful for the early morning hour rang throughout his chanber, causing him to grunt in response.

"Come on, get up, I've been waiting for you for a whole hour!"

"Gavroche, it's barely light out," he grumbled, his face still sunken into his pillow. "And you're stepping on my hair."

"And I'm telling you it's hard not to, eh?" retorted the kid in complaint, despite everything still trying to make his way about the room without disturbing the long blond locks that littered the floor.

The boy of ten years managed to somehow find a place to sit down on Enjolras' bed, while Enjolras gently stretched, his eyes still closed in sleep.

As it did each morning, the open door let in the light of dawn, and the smell of fresh bread wafted in from the kitchen and filled every room of the tower. 

Ignoring that his friend wasn't quite awake, Gavroche's attention was drawn to the number of books heaped on top of the nightstand which hadn't been there the day before.

"I know someone's going to fall asleep during their chores," remarked the kid, to the amusement of the young man who now looked upon him with clarity. "And don't count on me to try to catch you up this time."

"Thanks, I knew I could count on you," retorted Enjolras, throwing the covers onto the head of Gavroche, who feigned an offended cry.

"Hey, I made you breakfast; I can't do everything!" he replied, voice muffled by the layers of wool that now covered him.

Smiling at that, Enjolras got up to put on a more suitable outfit and gathered his hair the best he could. Meanwhile, Gavroche seized one book and leafed through it to find several pages and cards covered with notes. 

"Is this for our escape?" asked the young boy, attempting to decipher the chickenscratch. 

Enjolras' reflection gave an amused smile at Gavroche's childish excitement, who didn't seem to see the possibility of a grand adventure outside of these four walls. 

"It's our plan of escape, if you will," he responded, finishing the last button on his shirt and beginning to braid his hair to reduce their length somewhat. "If they won't let us leave."

"They can't refuse you anything; it's thanks to your hair that they don't look like old crones," responded the kid, lying the book down and rejoining Enjolras to aid in his task.

Enjolras restrained himself from responding and hid his last curly lock among the others. The Thenardiers owed him for their youth, and he owed them for a life and childhood away from other bandits, even less well-intentioned. He owed them for protecting his gift, which seemed to carry some weight. But this year, things were different, and he needed to discover the world, and all other things from his books. He was mature and knew how to defend himself, all he was missing was a guide through the infinite possibilities--a role which Gavroche, who had also seldom left the tower, couldn't fulfill. 

All Enjolras had left to do was hope that he could sufficiently convince them to let him discover the world. If not, things were going to be a lot more complicated. 

Enjolras just sighed and shook his head to test that his hair stayed in place. This would do for today. 

"In any case, if we want to get them on good terms by the time they get back, we have some work to do."

"Couldn't we eat a bit first? Not that I made this bread for nothing!"

The two friends thus spent the day, as every other: waxing, scrubbing, tidying up, dusting, and cleaning each cupboard, pausing now and then to eat or read whatever fell into their hands. At the top of the tower in a sanctuary hidden from prying eyes, they dreamed of other lives, much more thrilling and lively than the ones they had lived here for so long, and waited for the return of their jailers.

"What's the first thing you're going to do once you're outside?" suddenly asked Gavroche, helping Enjolras brush his tresses.

The question left the young man pensive. There were so many things he wanted to discover, that he wanted to do. Staying locked up all the time had grown his hopes and dreams about the great unknown that existed beyond the tower's exterior, where he now dreamed of playing an important role. he wanted to act, to leave a mark, to find his place once and for all in greater society which he had been apart from for so long. 

"As for me, I really want to explore the city," continued Gavroche, hardly noticing Enjolras' lack of a response. "And eat some ice cream."

Yes. That also seemed like a good idea.

Enjolras laughed, but he didn't have time to respond before they heard a cry resounding from the foot of the tower. The two friends looked to each other and held back a sigh. The Thenardiers were back. 

"Good, just try not to show how much you hate it, and that'll do," laughed the kid as the young man headed towards the tower's characteristic window. 

"Don't worry, if there's one good thing they've taught me, it's to be a hypocrite," he responded in a sigh, wedging his hair into the hook that allowed them to gently fall down so that the adults could ride up. 

After a few long minutes where the couple argued about who should go up first (to the mocking laughter of Gavroche and the weary look of Enjolras), Monsieur and Madame Thenardier entered the tower, taking care of Enjolras tightly in their arms and magnificently ignoring Gavroche, comfortably installed on one of the beams above, watching the scene. 

"Oh, how we've missed you!" cried Madame Thenardier, shaking him in her arms; meanwhile, Enjolras held back a grimace.

"We were worried something bad would happen to you, how our hearts would break," continued Monsieur Thenardier, collapsing into an armchair and taking off his mud-coated shoes and tossing into the corner of the room. 

"I imagine so..." Enjolras let slip and took a slight distance; having caught up enough with Madame Thenardier, he backed towards her husband, who still hadn't stopped talking.

"Legolas..."

"Enjolras," he corrected in a cold voice, already exasperated. 

"Yeah, that's it. Could you sing for us please? I'm dreadfully tired." 

"When I'm the one who did all the work," his wife mumbled between her teeth. 

"I'm older than you, so I fatigue more easily; it's only natural that you should do more."

"You're a layabout and a nincompoop."

"I won't have you saying that..."

As the umpteenth argument broke out once again, Enjolras slowly detached his hair and stretched it between their hands, before softly singing: 

  
_Flower, gleam and glow_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

  
_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the Fates' design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine_

  
This was all that was necessary for the Thenardiers to transform little by little. Their white hairs disappeared and found their original red hue once again, their wrinkles became less and less noticeable, their bodies regained strength and vigor. Between their fingers, the hair shined with the brightness of a thousand fires, dazzling. 

The song ended and all traces of magic disappeared from the room, while the couple remained slumped in their respective seats as though they had just given the greatest effort in their lives. 

Behind them, Enjolras clung to his dream of leaving one day and seizing one as a weapon to strike the other. He knew perfectly well that they owed him, but his ego had suffered enough the fate of being alive thanks to such rude and despicable people. And he hoped, perhaps in vain, that the rest of humanity wasn't in their image. 

Inspired to have a great coup, the young man squeezed his fists and interrupted the Thenardiers with a calm and assured voice. 

"We would like to leave this place."

The two adults suddenly froze, caught in the middle of their discussion, and turned slowly towards Enjolras, as though he had asked the most absurd thing possible. 

"We?" let out Monsieur Thenardier, seeming not to have grasped the demand past the first word. 

"Gavroche and I," explained Enjolras, trying not to sound too desperate. "It's time for us to leave to discover the world outside our tower. We aren't going to stay here for the rest of our lives."

Seeing the looks exchanged between the Thenardiers, however, it seemed that solution was the most obvious. Laughing nervously, Madame Thenardier rose to his side and laid a hand on his shoulders, taking a soft voice as though she were speaking to a young child: 

"But child, the world outside is dangerous, especially for you. You know that..."

The whole time she spoke, she stroked a greedy hand along the blond hair of Enjolras, who was unnerved by her touch. But he didn't have time to respond before Monsieur Thenardier pressed into his other side to add, 

"You don't realize because you've never left here..."

"...But evil reigns across the land..."

"Bandits!"

"Thieves!"

"Poison!"

"Quicksand!"

"Cannibals, serpents, even the Plague!"

"And we're not even telling you about the grotesque beasts or the men with pointy teeth!"

"Here, you avoid the drama..."

"And we protect you from all the world..."

"After all, we already cradled you..."

"Changed you..."

"Fed you..."

"You can accompany us outside, then."

The Thenardiers froze once more upon hearing this remark, and Enjolras held back a proud smile. But the silence didn't last long:

"But we are too weak to defend you if ever we were to be attacked!" moaned Madame Thenardier with a voice too alarmed to ring true. 

"I know how to defend myself, you just have to guide us."

"So you're ready to put us in danger, as long as you're able to survive? How selfish of you, I thought we had raised you better!"

Monsieur Thenardier's remark made Enjolras go silent for a few seconds too long, and the couple, seizing the opportunity, continued to spread their lamentations: 

"You don't love us anymore!"

"And to think we've always been there for you!"

"We've saved you from the bandits that kidnapped you and this is how you repay our kindness!"

"What ingratitude!"

"What indignity!"

"We are absolutely..."

While they ranted on, Enjolras squeezed his fists, seeing that this was becoming a lost battle that would never let up. Discreetly raising his eyes towards Gavroche, who was spectating helplessly, he saw him raise his shoulders with a sigh. They had nothing to wait for. 

They had nothing more than to take the risk and put their plan of escape into action. 

They endured another several days, putting up with the Thenardiers who fawned over Enjolras and greatly ignored Gavroche, spending their nights enjoying putting together the points of their possible itineraries, knowing what business to conduct. Whenever the horrible couple was ready to leave, promising to return very quickly--Enjolras refrained from answering that having seen their true physical states, it was better if they didn't strain themselves on the way down, but he was too scared to say a word.

It wasn't more than a few hours before the two friends were ready to leave the tower.

"Enough, I think they're more or less the same," remarked Gavroche when Enjolras hesitated on which books he should bring, wondering which would be more useful in their escape.

"This would help with...." the young man was content to answer, combing a curly lock behind his ear. "We're going to have to get by on our own as always."

"I bet they still honestly think we'll always be here when they come back," laughed Gavroche as he put his cap back on his head.

"Obviously they don't believe we're capable."

"What do they know about us, eh?"

Enjolras smiled lightly, definitively closing his suitcase, and sighing in the face of all their belongings, now packed and ready to go.

"If only we had someone to guide us from--"

Enjolras didn't have time to finish his sentence as they both froze at the sound of steady blows and groans of effort. 

Someone was climbing the tower.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Siffly is the original author of this work, and they published the first 6 chapters awhile ago. I'm just getting around to translating the second one :) Hopefully I will do more but I've been busy etc., but for now enjoy! -Monsieur V. Entity 
> 
> Here are the notes they included with the original chapter:
> 
> "And here it is, chapter 2!
> 
> Already, thank you so much for your comments on the first chapter, you can't imagine how happy it has made me <3
> 
> The point of view has changed radically here, and finally we have my favorite bi disaster (who is even less functional than usual), as well as another person...with a particular role (I'm not sorry)  
As always an immense thank you to LaPetitET and their beta of superior quality <3
> 
> Happy reading, until next week for the next chapter!
> 
> -Siffly, your lil octopus"

Grantaire's day was turning out much more difficult than he had imagined. 

Montparnasse, during an evening of too much to drink, had embarked on another of his disastrous plans, to no one's surprise. After all, these two were infamous throughout the kingdom for their involvement in the worst attempts at theft--and for spending a time or two in jail because of their drunkenness. Since then, they hadn't bothered anyone.

And yet they found themselves together on the palace roof to steal the crown of the missing prince, by far their worst idea yet. And taking the previous ones into account, that was saying a lot.

"Are you completely sure?" Grantaire asked once again as Montparnasse attached his harness around the opening. 

"Listen, R, if you're too chicken to do it, you should tell me now."

"We both know why I ended up going through with this."

Montparnasse's amused smile caused him to tighten his fists, but he said nothing. Knowing what he was about to do, it was far too late to turn his back on his partner.

"That's why you're are my favorite accomplice; compared to the others you're so desperate and without conscious."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," sneered Grantaire, nevertheless checking that he had been sufficiently attached. "Anyway, if we get caught, I'll say that it was your idea."

"But if we succeed, this will be the last time I'll see you in your entire life. And you have a right to half of the booty, you can't refuse that."

The young man withheld a response, and then that was the last he saw of his sidekick, choosing to assure himself that they would find their object of desire below.

Indeed, if all went well, he would never have to steal again in his life. But Montparnasse still didn't know that sharing the loot was out of the question.

"Are you ready?" his partner finally asked him, standing at their makeshift entrance. 

"Like I have a choice."

"I promise, I'll hold the cord steady."

"That is, without a doubt, the least assuring thing you've told me all day."

However, Grantaire found himself quickly descending into the massive room where the crown was located. Dozens of guards turned their back to him, their gaze fixated on the main entrance, and he then held his breath. Each tiny noise--the cord rubbing against the ledge, the gasps of Montparnasse, his own heart pounding much too quickly in his chest--seemed ten times louder, echoing in his ears like a dread-inducing cacophony. 

And at the bottom, all too far away: the treasure of the palace, the crown of the prince who had been missing for years, the crown which hadn't left this room ever since. It was worth an inestimable value, that is until its price was set by the right merchants. It was adorned in rubies, covered in dust, and waiting in vain for the return of its owner. 

The key to his freedom. To their freedom. 

As soon as he was in arms reach, he seized the crown and waved to Montparnasse to go back up--which he hastened to do, as quickly as allowed by his questionable physical condition.

But Grantaire had barely placed a foot on the roof when a voice called out, making them both freeze:

"Stop, thief!" 

Caught in the act, the two criminals took a moment to asses the situation before disappearing from the roof in a flash and fleeing towards the forest. Upon realization that the most precious treasure in all the kingdom had just been stolen, the captain of the guard mounted his finest steed, Javert, and headed out with his soldiers in pursuit of the thieves. 

Still running, Montparnasse gloated, "Fuck yeah, we did it! It's the good life for us now! Once we sell this thing, we're gonna be rich! You hear me, R, rich!"

But as he turned to face the other young man, the thief realized that he was now own his own, fleeing in some unknown direction. He stopped quickly to look around for him, panicking and out of breath, but the answer became quickly evident. Grantaire was gone.

"What a piece of manure..."

***

"Sorry, Montparnasse, but this time, it's every man for himself."

A proud smile on his lips, Grantaire had stopped himself underneath a tree several meters earlier, taking in the prise for himself. 

They were going to be able to run away. To have a more beautiful life. Enough with the meals that were too meager, the nights spent between hostels, the petty thieving in order to survive. they were going to take their time, maybe settle somewhere and have a peaceful life far away from here. 

After all, he deserved it. 

But his victory was quickly cut short by the sound of hooves approaching him in a gallop. Radically changing his direction, the crook resumed his course, heading down another path in hopes that they would lose his trace. Eventually, only the sounds of the forest surrounded him, and Grantaire became more relaxed, now convinced that he was removed from all danger.

"Stop, in the name of the king!"

He should have known that he was wrong.

Before him emerged the captain of the guard on his horse, dead set on taking back his booty. The thief abruptly turned around to face a bushy section of the forest, dodging trees, logs, and rocks as fast as he could. 

On his tail, the captain pressed his steed, moving faster and faster. That is until he failed to jump over a tree trunk, which was sticking out much higher than he had anticipated.

"Javert, wait..."

Too late. Driven by his duty to the importance of his mission, the horse had jumped up and surmounted the obstacle he faced, to gallop onwards in pursuit of the criminal. He was missing his rider, who had taken a comical fall.

The cry that he let out caught the attention of Grantaire, who turned around and quickly saw the potential mode of transportation come towards him. A confident smile on his lips, he stopped himself, hoping to seize its reins and ride away as quickly as possible in order to erase his tracks. 

He didn't understand his mistake until the moment where he realized that the horse was not slowing in the least, his gaze still determined and fixed on his leather bag. 

In a sudden panic he continued running, as the animal caught up to him, trying to grab the strap of the bag between his teeth. 

"Come on, let it go!" cried Grantaire, taking his satchel under his arms and dodging as he could. 

But Javert, intent on returning the crown to its rightful place, continued to press as much as he could into the criminal, leaving no room for escape. The two enemies had gone so far that they both ended up on the edge of a cliff, and Grantaire had to strengthen himself so as not to drop several meters. But it was just these few seconds of inattention that Javert needed to bite a corner of the bag and quickly sneak it away, against the cries of the young man who still had nothing to lose:

"Give me that, you filthy beast!"

In response, the horse tightened his grip, and so began a fierce battle to recover the object of desire. But the force of the two combatants was so strong that the bag ripped itself from their hands, launching into the abyss. 

Grantaire nearly let out a horrified cry, but he then saw that the strap had caught on a tree branch that was jutting out just at the edge of the chasm. He knew the branch could in no way could support the weight of both a man and an animal. 

He exchanged a quick glance with Javert, then threw himself into the chasm, with hopes of seizing the crown before his adversary. The horse may have been faster, but the tree limb was only large enough for one young man to walk on it. So upon placing the weight of one hoof on the tree and hearing a foreboding creak, the beast was obligated to consider his own survival. Now he had to stay on the ground, furious as the culprit took back his treasure.

Laughing and holding his prize once again, Grantaire couldn't stop himself from turning towards Javert, who sent him a dark look, and cried to him in a mocking tone:

"That'll teach you to mess with me, you dumb sack of--"

His sentence was cut short by an ominous cracking noise.

This really wasn't his day.

The tree made a thunderous sound, and the thief felt himself lose his grip and fall. As he fell, his eyes were still trained on the horse, jumped in hopes of catching the thief, but stopped on all fours to keep from falling. Grantaire clutched the bag in his arms; the fall was both much too long and too short. He closed his eyes so as to not witness his end, not even having the time to stop and remark, cynically, that this was the quickest death to ever happen in a fairy tale. 

Fortunately for him, his adventure was far from being over.

Suddenly, he felt himself being hung by the collar, barely managing not to be suffocated by the shock. With his eyes still closed, he took a deep, deep breath to convince himself that he wasn't dead yet, clinging to the leather under his fingers. Slowly, he opened one eye and raised his head to discover that his green vest was hooked on one of the branches of a tree, abruptly stopping his fall. A laugh of relief escaped him, and then he stretched out his arm to take hold and descend from his impromptu perch. 

Once both his feet were anchored on solid ground, the thief took a few seconds to observe his environment. This part of the forest was clearly very seldom traversed: the trees were overgrown, and it was difficult for the sun to pass through the thick foliage. As far as he could tell, not a soul for miles. 

Just perfect. He could spend several days here, and by the time everyone thought he was dead, he would find the way back to town, and then they could definitely run away. 

A relaxed smile across his lips, Grantaire was focusing on finding the best place to settle, when suddenly some loud voices interrupting the place's peace. 

"I believe I am cursed," he groaned to himself as the owners of the voices manifested themselves as a couple arguing--coming dangerously close to him.

Climbing the first tree that he saw, he had the full leisure of listening to the conversation that unfolded at his feet, and the exasperation in the woman's voice:

"As I told you, it's dangerous to leave him alone, and we wouldn't have to leave if only--"

"Shut up already, you're giving me a headache," the man cut in. "No one ever ventures out here, there's no risk of anyone kidnapping him. Now, you'd better hurry up if we want to get there before nightfall."

"Well, when we get back and he's gone, don't come crying to me!"

"I'm telling you, he's safe in the tower, there isn't the slightest chance that anyone will find him, now shut it and let's go!"

They continued their back-and-forth until disappearing into the woods, under Grantaire's smirk.

It appeared there was now a roof, and probably another treasure at hand. Everything was going swell.

Backtracking the steps of the couple, who, much too sure of themselves, didn't dream of covering their tracks, Grantaire soon faced what appeared to be the foot of a cliff, covered in leaves and vines. Intrigued, he meant to put his hand against the stone but instead reached at empty space, and a few more steps throught the leaves led him into a hollow. What did these people have that was so precious that they took such care in hiding it?

In a short distance, Grantaire came out of the darkness and found himself in a clearing closed off by stone walls. At its center stood a tall tower, worn away by years and covered in ivy. The spot, cut off from the world and frozen in time, had the air of peace and tranquility, unaware of the ills of the outside world. 

The young man smiled and rushed to the foot of the aging structure. And since its inhabitants had said they wouldn't return for several days, Grantaire had all the time in the world to stop here and take a well deserved vacation after all his adventures. He began climbing the old battlement the best he could, thinking to himself. The young man was usually so cynical, but now he surprised himself as he dreamed of a beautiful life free from strife, with enough money to live out the rest of his days without a care in the world. 

A few minutes were all he needed until, at last, he set foot on the ledge of the unique window and made his way inside. Without so much as taking one glance around the room, he opened his sack and studied the stolen crown. 

"One could say that it was you who gave me the idea to--"

He felt a sharp hit to the back of his skull. And then everything went black. 

***

**Author's Note:**

> [Translator's note: Hi everyone! I thought this one was cute so I decided to do a translation of it. Let me know if I should do the rest of the chapters (so far there are like 5 more)! (or let me know if you have any constructive criticism of my translation >.< ) Thanks for reading!]


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